Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits

I liked this book well enough. It wasn't what I had expected after the first chapter. The stories were interesting. I liked how the book was divided into two parts; the story of before they decided to immigrate and then the story of what happened to them after they arrived. It was very well written, but nothing to jump for joy about. I liked the different take on immigration. I am used to reading books about people immigrating to the US, so this was a nice change.

The Mole People

I found this book fascinating! It was an easy read and well written. Who knew that many people were living "down there". I enjoyed reading about the different types of homeless in the city and how they group themselves. This book was more about homelessness in general in NYC than anything. It kind of jumped around a lot and some of the stories told I still have a hard time believeing. Though, I do believe Toth wrote what she was told. I am sure many of those stories were made up by the people she encountered rather than Toth herself. The most fascinating part of the book I think for me was the anatomy of the city and the underground. Learning about the different levels of the tunnels and subway is a bit mind boggleing.